What Happens If You Stop Using Botox or Filler

Everybody knows that Botox and fillers make you look younger, better and more rested. But there are some people who think that when you stop using Botox or fillers, that your skin gets worse than it was before you used it. And therefore, they feel, “I’m not going to start those things because I have to continue them for the rest of my life.” That is a myth, that is not true, and it’s just a fear, I promise. When you stop using Botox or fillers, they just wear off and that’s all that happens.
Let’s talk about fillers first. Fillers work by restoring volume to your skin that has been lost as a result of the loss of fat or even the loss of collagen and elastic tissue. Well, if you have a filler injection treatment, the material will last 3-12 months and if you never have another one in 3-12 months, it wears off and you’ll basically be back to where you started. But if you’re doing filler treatments continuously for four years, or five years, or six years and then you stop, well, when you stop four to six years later, your skin is four to six years older. So, of course, when it wears off, your skin is not going to look as good as it did when you started four to six years ago, because your skin is four to six years older.
Let’s talk about Botox. Botox wears off in three months, so certainly, when you stop Botox after your first treatment, you’re going to be right back where you were. But Botox works differently than filler, Botox arrests the muscles that cause folding and creasing of your skin that folds and breaks collagen, so if those muscles are arrested by the Botox, you can no longer make your lines deeper or etch them any deeper. If you’re using Botox for a couple of years, what you’ve really done is stopped the worsening of those lines, you’ve arrested their progression, so with Botox, if you stop using it several years later, you actually are way ahead of the game, because the lines haven’t gotten any deeper, because the Botox prevented repeated use of the muscles that makes those lines. So if you like using Botox and filler, please don’t be concerned that anything bad will happen if you stop using it and, if you’re afraid to use Botox and filler because of that fear, let me reassure you that Botox and filler won’t make you look any worse and will just make you look better.

When considering whether or not to use Botox or fillers, many people ask what the side effects of stopping using them after having used them for a period of time. Dr. Schultz shares the answer.

Is non-ablative laser good for you skin? I had it done a while ago and my face looks worst than before. It cost a fortune.They assured me that it would go away, but it did not. All I saw for a month was bruising and swelling. Now I have a dent in my cheek and more lines around the eyes, what do I do to correct it?
Thank you

Neal Schultz, M.D. on January 26, 2010 at 3:51pm

@Natalia: Non-ablative laser treatments can be helpful for your skin, depending upon the condition being treated with it. Regarding your specific case, without seeing pre-op photographs, post-op photographs and knowing exactly the perameters of your laser treatment, it is not possible to address your appropriate concerns directly. If your doctor can't answer your appropriate questions, then you should seek a second opinion from a laser specialist.